In an industry where women make up only 4–8% of executive roles despite representing 36% of the tech workforce, the journey to leadership remains fraught with systemic barriers. Amita Mirajkar, Co-Founder of Clairvoyant and VP, Data Practice at EXL, brings unique insights from her experiences navigating the global and Indian tech landscapes. In an exclusive interview with Tech Achieve Media, Amita shares insights into the societal and organizational challenges women face in reaching leadership positions, the unconscious biases that shape workplace culture, and the actionable steps needed to create meaningful pathways for women in tech. From Clairvoyant’s pioneering diversity initiatives to the broader impact of inclusivity on innovation and decision-making, Amita shares her vision for empowering women and fostering a culture of excellence. Furthermore, she discusses the importance of self-confidence, holistic learning, and leadership development at every level, offering a roadmap for organizations striving to bridge the gender gap in technology.
TAM: Despite increasing awareness, women remain underrepresented in executive roles in tech. From your experience, what systemic barriers persist, and why have they been so resistant to change?
Amita Mirajkar: Based on my observations and experiences within the Indian tech landscape, I’ve noticed significant differences shaped by societal factors. Having worked in the US for some time and briefly in the UK, I’ve seen how societal structures influence industries in profound ways.
In India, traditional societal norms often limit women’s self-image and career aspirations. There are deep-seated cultural expectations around who can work, how much time can be devoted to work, and how much priority can be given to a career. These norms contribute to women feeling constrained in pursuing their professional goals.
As more members of households contribute to family incomes, I hope these barriers will diminish over time. However, the most significant challenge I’ve observed lies within women’s own perceptions. Many women hesitate to be ambitious or courageous and often lack the confidence their abilities deserve. This self-doubt prevents them from seeking growth or leadership roles, as they feel bound by societal, familial, and traditional expectations. In my opinion, breaking these mental barriers is critical. Once women overcome these limitations, the industry is already well-equipped to support their growth and leadership.
TAM: How do cultural perceptions and unconscious biases within organizations influence the leadership trajectory for women in tech?
Amita Mirajkar: Unconscious biases exist within organizations as well. For example, when a woman shares her household responsibilities, colleagues, supervisors, and others in the company often take it more seriously. The reaction might be something like, “Oh, look, women always have home responsibilities,” which can lead to assumptions that she cannot be available on a Saturday or for other work-related needs. In contrast, if a man mentions similar responsibilities, it’s rarely generalized in the same way.
The impact of these biases often depends on the workplace environment. In progressive workplaces, where people are more understanding, everyone—regardless of gender—can openly share their responsibilities at home. In these environments, there’s recognition that both husbands and wives have commitments outside of work. However, in less open environments, women may feel pressured to hide their responsibilities. This secrecy only adds to their burden and stress, limiting how much they can volunteer for additional tasks or growth-oriented roles.
Efforts to reduce these biases are underway, and I do see companies working on this issue. However, I don’t think the efforts are sufficient. Large organizations, especially in today’s hybrid work environments, face significant challenges. Despite training programs, not everyone attends or fully applies the lessons to real-life scenarios. Often, it takes someone pointing out a biased action or mindset for real change to occur.
It’s a tough problem to solve, but companies and organizations like NASSCOM are making efforts to address it.
TAM: How can companies go beyond standard diversity programs to create meaningful pathways for women to ascend into leadership roles?
Amita Mirajkar: Traditional approaches, like implementing quotas, are often met with some negativity. For example, when someone is promoted under a diversity quota, others might say, “Oh, they were promoted because of the quota,” which undermines their accomplishments. To address this, organizations could focus on making merit requirements more transparent and adopt a continuous process for recognizing and rewarding good performance. This way, when someone performs well, their contributions are consistently highlighted, creating an environment where everyone knows that promotions are based on merit—irrespective of their group or background.
Promotion processes can be made more transparent, and performance evaluations should shift to a continuous model. Although continuous performance evaluation has been discussed in the HR world for a long time, it hasn’t yet been implemented widely enough to make a significant impact.
To truly promote growth, organizations need to emphasize the link between contribution, value creation, and career progression. Diversity programs encouraging women to speak up and take on bigger roles are a great start, but they need to be complemented by a top-down approach. Leadership should foster transparency and create a “pull factor” that inspires more women to step into leadership roles.
TAM: Could you share any specific initiatives Clairvoyant has implemented to support gender diversity and promote women into leadership positions?
Amita Mirajkar: At Clairvoyant, we initiated several programs to support diversity and inclusion. About three years ago, we underwent an acquisition and successfully merged with EXL. Today, we are part of EXL’s data management business, and I also serve on EXL’s Diversity and Inclusion India Board. Together, we address diversity and inclusion from multiple angles to support our teams.
One key initiative involves creating support groups for various diverse populations. These groups go beyond gender diversity to include individuals with disabilities and those from different regions or religious backgrounds. At the organizational level, we prioritize specific programs, such as recruitment initiatives aimed at helping women return to work after a career break. We also offer specialized training and mentorship programs tailored for women.
In addition, we run leadership development programs designed for all employees, ensuring robust participation from women. Rather than creating separate programs exclusively for women—which could inadvertently create disparity—we focus on inclusive initiatives. For instance, if we notice insufficient participation from women in a program, we extend enrollment deadlines to encourage greater involvement. These programs are designed with holistic learning in mind, and we are committed to ensuring that women employees have access to and benefit from this comprehensive learning experience.
TAM: How do you see diversity and inclusion impacting innovation and decision-making in the tech industry, particularly in areas like AI and data-driven solutions?
Amita Mirajkar: At a broader level, you’ve touched on an important point: decision-making. This includes determining which innovations to pursue, how to collect and encourage innovative ideas, ensuring people feel comfortable sharing their thoughts, and deciding which ideas to implement and move forward with. It also involves determining how many people to involve, fostering diverse perspectives, and encouraging healthy debates. All of this is deeply rooted in company culture, and there’s no single solution or “silver bullet” to address these challenges comprehensively.
Promoting and encouraging individuals who share valuable ideas, selecting some of those ideas for investment, and building innovative solutions are key steps. Recognizing and rewarding contributors is equally important. Healthy debates also play a vital role—when conflicts arise, the focus should be on facilitating objective discussions to collectively arrive at better solutions, rather than simply shutting down disagreements.
At Clairvoyant and now as part of EXL, we have been continuously working on this complex challenge. It’s not easy, but much of the effort involves leadership actively participating in the process—making themselves available, modeling good behavior, encouraging and rewarding positive actions. Building and maintaining a healthy and inclusive culture is an ongoing process that requires commitment at every level.
TAM: What legacy do you hope to leave behind as a leader in tech, particularly in the context of gender diversity and empowerment?
Amita Mirajkar: I believe in the principle of holistic learning and that there are no shortcuts to success. To achieve meaningful progress, you need to excel at what you do, apply your knowledge effectively, collaborate well with colleagues, and maintain exemplary work ethics. People should know you as someone who stands for what is right. Success follows when you hold yourself to high professional standards and encourage others around you to do the same. It’s a natural side effect of consistently doing the right things. Along the way, it’s equally important to enjoy the journey—without joy, it’s hard to maintain discipline or resist shortcuts. If I were to define the legacy I’d like to leave behind, it would be fostering a culture of higher professional standards and leadership development at all levels. Leadership, after all, is about inspiring and empowering others to uphold these values.
